


Just Me And You

by BitterEndXII



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Absent Parents, Abusive Parents, Abusive Relationships, Asperger Syndrome, Autism, Best Friends, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Violence, Friends to Lovers, Homophobia, London, M/M, Moving In Together, Moving Out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-10 16:58:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5593879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitterEndXII/pseuds/BitterEndXII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frank and Gerard have been best friends for years. Through thick and thin, they are inseparable. Gerard has Asperger Syndrome, but Frank always saw through it - to him, it was just another of Gerard's quirky personality traits. When they move in together, it's just one day at a time, both boys discovering who they really are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new project for my babies ~~~ Please tell me what you think! :)

It was summer, nearly the end of term. I was fifteen and I was in math class, bored out of my head the same as everyone else – it was the day I would meet Gerard. 

Mr Cohen was talking about some garbage that most of us were unable to follow when a tentative looking receptionist entered the room, passing a scrap to the teacher before looking in my direction sternly. The class descended into silence naturally, any distraction to avoid working. 

“Iero, office – now” the teacher spoke dully, the receptionist walking towards the door, beckoning me forwards. Being one of the most graceless teenagers you could fathom, I looked behind me awkwardly and shuffled up, knocking the desk with the legs of my chair. “Take your bag” the man was now facing the board once more and the woman at the door looked impatient. I slung it over my shoulder and paced quickly out the room, following the woman obediently until we reached the deputy Head’s office. 

It didn’t occur to me before this point to ask why I had been apprehended, I was simply glad to get out of class. “Why am…” but I was cut off. “Mr Porter wants to speak to you” with that, she opened the door. I wandered in, wondering why the woman was so cold, I couldn’t have in trouble, I never put a foot out of line back then. Sat in the room was the aforementioned Mr Porter, his warm disposition ever apparent – he always liked me. Next to him was a boy. 

He had brown hair, scraped back with product – obviously a mother’s effort to make him look presentable. His clothes were non-descript, he was chubby, he didn’t really have a style. I tried to catch his eye but his head was down, his hands fumbling in his lap, I figured maybe he had been beaten up or something, he looked like the sort of kid who could have gotten bullied. 

“Frank, sit” I did as I was told yet again, I didn’t do confrontation. “Frank, this is Gerard” Mr Porter gestured over to the boy next to him, who didn’t even flinch at his words. After some formalities and asking how my studies were going, he got to the point of his abrupt meeting. “He’ll be joining us in September, I want you to show him around a little today so he’s more prepared” he stood up and so did the boy, which seemed to surprise Mr Porter as much as it did me. “I’m Gerard” his voice was rushed and his head was still down, he held out his hand. I frowned.

“I’m Frank” I shook his hand, but he seemed concerned with my response, as he immediately sat down again. Mr Porter looked perplexed for a moment, mumbling something to Gerard before exiting the room, I followed him. “Hey um, what’s this about?” I finally spoke when he had closed the door behind him. “So, Frank, listen…” he almost spoke over me, stopping abruptly when he realised that he had. 

“Gerard’s going to need someone to hang around with for a little while when he starts here, Frank he’s… he’s got Asperger Syndrome” he spoke softly, pausing for a moment to collect his words. “Mildly” he confirmed. “He had to leave his previous school through bullying, Frank. He’s had a rather bad time. I assured his mother that we would look after him here, you were the first one I could think of” Mr Porter paused again, looking over at the door. 

“You don’t have to Frank, I completely understand…” I recall that honestly, I didn’t think twice. I was bullied, it sucked; someone like that didn’t deserve it. “Of course I will” I said, which seemed to take Mr Porter by surprise. “Yeah?” he puzzled. “Yes, he seems nice” I peered into the frosted glass on the door. “Well, that’s settled, I think it would be best if you showed him around after school though Frank, so he can get a better picture, not be bothered by anyone…” It was as if he already knew the hell this kid could go through here, it wasn’t a bad school – it was just full of teenagers. Cruel, spiteful, hurtful teenagers. 

“That’s fine” I had nothing to do that evening, I didn’t see why not. “Good” his smile was genuine, as if his faith in young people not being selfish ingrates was restored. “Come back here at three-thirty, try and show him the whole building – his mother’s coming at five, so just get him back to the main car park” we spoke for a little while longer before I was sent back to my class. 

“This is the English department, the staff around here are super nice – this is where our year group gets registered in the morning” Me and Gerard were walking up the stairs as I gestured the corridor in front of us, he seemed curious, his eyes were darting everywhere; though he still hadn’t really looked at me. I glanced down at the time table that had been thrust onto me by Mr Porter, finding room 72, where Gerard was to take his class. 

“This is where you’ll be” I tried the door and it opened, we walked in. Gerard looked up and down the walls which were covered in work from the lower years, stuff that was more decorated – I figured he might have been an art kid. “I’m not very good at English” it was the first full thing he’d said to me and it came out as a murmur, the boy was unbelievably shy. “Don’t sweat it, nor am I” he smiled ever so slightly at that, finally looking me in the face. “I’m Gerard” he repeated himself and held out his hand again, a more relaxed, friendly feel to it that time. “Frank” I humoured him by shaking his hand and he knew it, he laughed. “Nice to meet you, Frank”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the peeps who left me some kudos~~~ more updates to come! Tell me what you think! <3

Four years later. 

“So you like him?” I quizzed, leaning on my elbows at the edge of the bed, Gerard being sat on the floor below; I had offered him to sit beside me, but he had said that I was the guest and that I should have the bed. “Yeah, maybe, yeah…” he was sat cross legged and had his hands in front of him, picking nervously at the carpet. 

“Maybe, what?” I pressed him for information. “Well I, I do…” he looked up at me and shrugged. “But he doesn’t like me” he stretched his legs out and leant back against the wall, sighing. “Why do you think that?” we were talking about a man called Bert, who attended Gerard’s evening art class. 

According to Gerard he had been at our secondary school but had been a couple of years older, though I don’t recall seeing him once. Gerard had reminded me that I was an anti-social kid back then and didn’t notice anything anyway, I had laughed. Gerard had been talking about this man almost non-stop for months, but in the last few weeks had gone quiet. I asked him if they had fought or if the other had left and after some prodding, Gerard admitted that he had a crush on the man. 

Gerard had never been remotely attracted to anything so it had taken me by surprise, but after Gerard had explained the profoundly religious views of his, in my opinion, distant parents, his silence had made more sense. This was a few weeks before, and I now felt confident enough to press him for some details. 

“Y’know… cause I’m different” he mumbled. “Gerard…” I held out my hand, he took it, looking me in the eye. “You should never say that, you’re just you… quirky as fuck” Gerard laughed and dropped his arms beside him. “Yeah” he spoke. “I just I, I, I…. I don’t know how I’d t-tell him… I don’t know how he feels about me” he drew up his legs to his chest; he would get fidgety when he spoke for too long. “You’ll just have to ask him, I can be on standby if you need me” I was trying to lighten the mood. 

“No… no, I’ll look like a baby if you do that” Gerard’s voice was serious and he frowned. “I’m not a baby” he snapped. “Fuckin’ hell Gerard calm down” I was the only one in the world who could be so abrupt with Gerard, he let me because he knew I cared, he just knew it. Gerard grinned. “Shut the fuck up Frankie” he laughed. There was a long pause, I could tell he was trying to compile his words. “I don’t know what to say” was what he came out with. 

“Well, what do you want to say to him?” I wanted to push him to try, he deserved my patience. “That I think he’s great, and fit and that I want to go on a date with him” Gerard talked quickly, he had started to get giddy about the situation, it made me laugh. “Ask him if he wanted to go out for dinner after a class, it’s a nice segway and it won’t look as obvious” I suggested. “Obvious?” Gerard looked concerned. “Well, like, you don’t want to come across too needy, not that you do – you’ve got to play it cool” Gerard put his head in his hands and let out a long breath. 

“I’m not cool though” he grumbled, laying on his front on the floor, burying his head into the thick carpet. “Gerard you look hilarious” I said, getting off the bed and kneeling beside him on the floor. “I don’t” he was trying to suppress laughter, I could tell. “Gerard listen… anyone would be lucky to go on a date with you, you just gotta get in there. This guy, Bert, he seems nice, he’s hardly going to have a change of personality just because you ask him out, you gotta try and be confident with people Gee” I rubbed his back until he sat up again. 

“You’re really nice Frank” he smiled; I couldn’t help but be bashful about it, most people didn’t think to say things like Gerard did. “Who the hell is Bert?” me and Gerard both shot up. 

His mother. 

His religious, self-absorbed, detached mother was stood in the door way and we were about to find out that she had heard the whole thing. “Momma” Gerard paced quickly towards his mother and began trembling. “Momma he’s a friend, a friend from art class” he rambled – he wasn’t good at telling lies. “Then why are you shaking, Gerard?” her voice was blank, she already knew what had been said but she wanted to squeeze it out of Gerard, she wanted to make him feel guilty. 

It sickened me, how she, and the whole family, treated the boy. They responded to his disability as if it were a choice, a ruse invented to make their lives a little bit more difficult. They acted like he was a burden and they disapproved of everything he did, regardless of what it was or how it made Gerard feel. Even the art class, which to my mind was a perfect way for Gerard to channel his energy and make friends, was called “frivolous” by his father. 

“I just… you look mad Momma. I’m sorry if, if, if I made you mad. We were just talking about my friend Bert, weren’t we Frank? My friend Bert…” he stepped aside so I could fully see the woman, looking snooty and bitter as always. “Yes, he was telling me that we should invite Bert out with us some time” I could lie more smoothly than Gerard though I knew it was in vein. 

“Don’t bullshit me Frank!” she hollered, stepping past Gerard; that angered me within itself. The fact that she valued my words, my input, over that of her son’s, just because he was mentally challenged enraged me more than I could ever describe. It was made more obvious by the fact that her beef was with her son, not with me. 

“I’m not bullshitting Donna…” my eyes flashed to Gerard, who looked like he was about to cry. “I heard you! I heard everything you two were saying! I knew this shit would happen…” she turned to Gerard. “I know from the moment they forced this boy to spend time with you it would be trouble! Well, there you go. If you weren’t already enough of a disappointment, congratulations – you’re a faggot now as well” My blood was boiling, I stepped in between him and his mother. 

“Shut the fuck up Donna! You don’t get to talk to him like that!” I was silenced with a loud slap to the side of my head, which caused Gerard to yelp. “I’ve had it! I can’t even be bothered to discuss it anymore! Get out, both of you!” she shoved me towards the door, Gerard tried to grab her arm but was too timid. “If you haven’t left by tonight I will tell your father everything. You know what he’ll do!” she yelled, storming down the stairs, leaving me and Gerard staring at each other in disbelief.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feedback for the last part was great, thank you so much! Here's some more for my babies~~~ comments are muchly appreciated! <3

We had it out with his father that night. The moment Don’s hands so much as touched Gerard I flipped, smacking him in the face with force I didn’t know I was capable of. Donna just watched without emotion, and Mikey stood in the corner, on the brink of tears, but too young to understand and too small to intervene. Needless to say, we simply left. Gerard bundled a bag together and we went back to mine, greeted warmly by my mother who let Gerard stay for the best part of two months. 

We went back to his house sporadically for his belongings but with no second glance from his parents we realised that it was no home for him anymore. But we weren’t well off, we didn’t have the space and my mother struggled to adapt to Gerard’s very specific set of needs. So, with help from my family, we got a place of our own, in town, away from our old homes, ready for a fresh start. 

“Gerard? The fuck are you doing?” there had been a loud bang from his bedroom, a thud, like he’d dropped something – the place was cheap, he could have easily cracked the plaster. There was no answer. Frowning, I trailed up the stairs, hearing another thud. “Gerard?” I opened the door to his bedroom. He was sat on the floor, trying to put together a desk we’d recently bought flat-pack; he’d needed somewhere to draw that wasn’t the living room floor. 

“Need any help?” I spoke, leaning again the door frame, I was sure that I was smiling down at him. “The instructions said that you could put it up on your own” as he spoke, another panel of wood fell from its balance and slipped through this fingers, banging loudly on the floor. “Gerard, IKEA furniture is designed to be precisely the opposite” I sat down beside him and steadied the flimsy structure. 

“No, Frank, it said that I could do it” he sounded upset, I sighed. “Gerard, it’s just a desk – let me help you, we’ll get it done quicker if we do it together” he looked over at me, thinking to himself. “I’m… I’m not stupid, I can do it if, if I…” he paused, letting go of the part he was working on and slumping down. “Why can’t I do it?” he seemed to have teary eyes. “You can do it Gee” I drew him into a hug which he quickly reciprocated. 

“It’ll just be quicker if we do it together” my words seem to calm him down. When he sat up from my embrace he was composed again, albeit slightly embarrassed. “Okay” he murmured. Gradually, we managed to build the desk. We stood back from our creation about an hour later with pride, it was the first thing we had really installed into our new place; it was sentimental. “Thank you, Frank” Gerard smiled and immediately descended into the boxes by our feet, searching for his art supplies. He had a very exact way of storing these things so I left him to it. 

“I’m going to get some takeaway for dinner, what do you want?” we hadn’t installed the oven yet, it was our only option. “Chinese – beef chow mein” was his simple request, he went back to sorting through his belongings. I beamed down at him and walked slowly down stairs, pulling out my phone and checking the time – the restaurant would be open in about an hour; Gerard liked his dinner early. 

At that moment, a loud bang came from the door, it startled me to say the least and made way for the landing. I got to the front door and I couldn’t see who it was through the frosted glass. “Hello?” I called, loud enough for the person outside to hear but not loud enough for Gerard to hear – he struggled with changes to his timetable. The person didn’t respond and I was concerned about opening the door, we didn’t live in the best part of town. 

“Hello?” I spoke again, closer to the door this time. I could just about make out the shape of a woman, I assumed it to be my mother, so I opened the door. But it wasn’t my mother, it was Gerard’s. I stood perplexed with the door open a crack, staring at the woman, who didn’t say a thing either. Coughing nervously, I stepped outside, closing the door behind me. 

“What do you want?” I hushed, looking up at the window where I knew Gerard was, making sure he wasn’t seeing this. “That’s not a polite way to greet someone is it Frank?” her tone was blank, she wasn’t offended, she was snarky. “Cut the crap, Donna – what is it?” I folded my arms and leaned against the door frame, she rolled her eyes. “Let me see my son” she was quick to the point, I almost couldn’t believe it. “You’ve not seen him for three months” I was already starting to get angry, it was stupid, she didn’t deserve my emotions. 

“Precisely” she took a step forwards. “You can’t hide him from me, he’s my child, not yours” she sounded smug as ever. “He’s not a child” I spoke through gritted teeth, she looked taken back. “You know what I meant” her voice rushed. “No, I know exactly what you mean. You want to patch things up with him so you don’t look a villain. Have your neighbors started talking? They must think you’re a monster for throwing him out” I took a step closer to her, I didn’t want Gerard to hear us. 

“How dare you!” her face scrunched up and her fists clenched. “I love my son – I just don’t love his choices, I want a relationship with him and you’re keeping him from me! You have no right! You’re taking advantage of him because he’s retarded!” I shot forwards, never intending to hit her, I was merely overcome with anger. 

“Don’t you ever use that fucking word, Donna!” I let out a shaky breath and composed myself. “He wants Bert – get the fuck over it, he’s not choosing it just to piss you off. The only thing he did choose was getting the hell away from that poisonous house” before she could but in I continued. 

“Do you wanna know something? He’s at college now, studying fine art – and he’s amazing. He went to party last week with his new friends – not with me, with friends, Donna. Friends he’s made on his course. He did that, without you. You did everything you could to keep him from it, because it was easier. It’s disgusting, and you wanna know the worst part?” I didn’t wait for her to respond, she was finally starting to absorb my seriousness; she looked hurt. 

“You don’t even have a reason. You had no reason other than the fact you felt inconvenienced because he wasn’t perfect. Well you know what, you’re not perfect either” I stepped back, ready to send her away. “Let me see my child” she repeated. No emotion, no guilt, no remorse, the same tired speech she always spat. She didn’t care. 

“Fuck you!” I yelled in her face. With that, I span on my heel and went back inside, slamming the door and leaning against it. I sighed loudly, rubbing my face, hearing the woman’s high heels clomp away down the drive way. Fucking bitch. “Frank?” Gerard yelled down the stairs, I froze for a moment, breathing out before replying. “Yeah?” I called. “You can order the food now, it’s half six” was all he said. I shut my eyes and giggled to myself. “Okay Gee” there was no way I would tell him, I wouldn’t ruin this.


End file.
